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New look for Northern's east campus

Date Posted: November 28 2003

MARQUETTE - A collection of projects at Northern Michigan University is adding fresh new space to the campus, while helping sustain employment for the building trades.

Three major construction projects are part of $36 million in ongoing campus renovations, one of the largest booms in recent years at NMU. "The university work, especially at Northern, is really helping us," said Tony Retaskie, executive director of the Upper Peninsula Labor-Management Council.

The three projects are all close together on the east side of the campus, and utilize three different general contractors. They include:

  • Adaptive re-use of the 130,000 square-foot Hedgecock Fieldhouse into a multi-story student services building and 350-seat recital hall to accommodate musicians and lecturers. General contractor Devere Construction is undertaking the $11 million project. Hedgecock was constructed in 1956 and has been used for hockey, basketball and special events, but has been abandoned over the years.
  • The 64,405-square-foot Russell Thomas Fine Arts Facility is being upgraded to meet current construction codes and technologies. Space will include administrative and faculty offices, as well as classroom and studio/labs. The renovated space will include some real pluses, including acoustically engineered music teaching areas, a 1,500-seat auditorium, and 14 practice rooms. Menze Construction is the general contractor on the $5 million project.
  • The 67,734-square-foot Art and Design Addition North project will include an office suite, faculty studios, drawing/painting and print making studios, photo lab, 100-person lecture hall, screening room, construction and work room, three critique rooms, computer labs, digital/green room, studios, and museum. The $10.4 million project is being supervised by Boldt Construction

"We've been fortunate, and the area construction industry is fortunate that we were able to get state funding lined up to make these projects possible," said Kathy Richards, NMU's director of engineering and planning "Everything that we're doing should be done by July 2004,"